In this episode of Work from the Inside Out, Tammy Gooler Loeb speaks with Kate Kayaian, a former professional cellist turned career strategist, author, and coach. Kate shares her journey from performing on world-class stages to making the bold decision to step away from a successful music career in her forties. What makes her story especially powerful is that nothing was “wrong” on the outside. She had built a life many would aspire to, yet something no longer fit.

Kate opens up about the internal shift that led her to question her path, including the realization that success as she had defined it no longer aligned with the life she wanted to live. Through the unexpected pause of the pandemic, she began experimenting with new ways of working, which led to coaching, creating programs, and ultimately discovering work that felt more meaningful and aligned. Her story challenges the belief that we must stay on a path simply because it has been successful.

Together, Tammy and Kate explore what it means to redefine potential on your own terms, how to move past the stories that keep you stuck, and why it is never too late to pivot. Kate also shares a simple yet powerful mindset shift that can help you move from feeling blocked to seeing new possibilities. This conversation is an invitation to rethink what is possible for your next chapter.

In this week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast, learn more about:

• How to recognize when a successful career no longer aligns with your values
• Why external success does not always translate to internal fulfillment
• The role of identity in keeping you stuck in a path that no longer fits
• How the pandemic created unexpected opportunities for reinvention
• The difference between ego-driven success and purpose-driven work
• Why you do not need a crisis to justify making a change
• How to translate existing skills into a completely new career direction
• The power of questioning the stories you tell yourself about your past, present, and future
• A practical mindset shift from “no, because” to “yes, if”
• How to begin redefining your potential on your own terms



Learn more about Kate:

• Read: Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Careers
• Listen: Tales from the Lane podcast
• Visit: katekayaian.com
• Follow Kate on Instagram: @kkayaian
• Get on the Wait List: Creatives Leadership Academy

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• Buy Me A Coffee
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb

What does leadership look like in a world where emotions are more present at work than ever before? In this episode, Tammy speaks with executive coach, strategic advisor, and author Dina Denham Smith about the increasing emotional demands placed on leaders today. Drawing on her background in organizational psychology, business, and executive leadership, Dina shares how workplaces have changed and why leaders are being charged with navigating situations that go well beyond traditional management practices. In her new book, Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work, she connects the dots between the complexities of intensified emotions in the workplace and the practical approaches needed to lead a trusting and engaged workforce.

Dina reflects on her early life growing up on a boys boarding school campus and how that environment shaped her confidence, communication style, and comfort speaking up in male dominated settings. She also shares the path that led her from studying organizational psychology to earning an MBA, working in consulting and private equity, and eventually building a successful executive coaching practice.

Tammy and Dina also explore the concept of emotional labor in leadership. Dina explains why the emotional expectations placed on leaders have intensified in recent years and offers practical insights for navigating difficult conversations, supporting teams through change, and leading effectively in an emotionally complex workplace.

In this week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast, learn more about:

• How Dina’s unconventional childhood shaped her confidence and communication style
• Why early work experiences influenced her interest in workplace psychology
• The path from studying organizational psychology to earning an MBA and moving into consulting
• What she learned working in organizational strategy and corporate transformation
• Dina’s transition from corporate leadership roles into executive coaching
• Why writing became an important part of her professional work
• The concept of emotional labor and how it applies to leadership
• Why leaders today face higher emotional demands than in the past
• How leaders can navigate emotionally charged conversations with their teams
• Practical ways to explore career changes through experimentation rather than overthinking



Learn more about Dina:

• Website: www.dinadsmith.com
• Book: Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-denham-smith/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dinadsmith71/

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• Buy Me A Coffee
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb

What if meetings didn’t have to feel like a drain, but instead became one of the most powerful tools for collaboration and career growth? In this episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Hinds, organizational behavior expert and author of Your Best Meeting Ever: Seven Principles for Designing Meetings That Get Things Done. Rebecca shares how her early years as a competitive swimmer shaped her understanding of teamwork and why putting the team first ultimately elevates individual success.

We explore the science of collaboration, what most organizations get wrong about meetings, and why so many well-intentioned efforts, including AI rollouts, fail due to human resistance rather than technical limitations. Rebecca explains the “4D rule” for deciding whether a meeting should even exist, how network science can transform career advancement, and why cognitive wandering is essential for innovation.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by inefficient meetings, skeptical about AI at work, or unsure how to position yourself for what’s next in your career, this conversation offers both research-backed insights and practical ways to rethink how you show up for your team and for yourself.

In this week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast, learn more about:

• How Rebecca’s experience as a competitive swimmer shaped her understanding of teamwork
• Why organizations often reward individual performance over team success and why that’s a mistake
• The 4D rule for determining whether a meeting should exist
• Dropbox’s radical “Meeting Gettin’” experiment
• The hidden psychology behind meeting overload
• How network science influences career advancement
• Why weak ties (not strong ones) often lead to new opportunities
• What “cognitive wandering” is and why it fuels innovation
• Why AI initiatives fail due to human resistance, not technical limitations
• How to combine disciplines to create a unique competitive advantage
• Why designing and running effective meetings is a high-value leadership skill



Learn more about Rebecca:

• Read: Your Best Meeting Ever: Seven Principles for Designing Meetings That Get Things Done
• Visit: RebeccaHinds.com
• Follow on LinkedIn: @rebecca-hinds

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• Buy Me A Coffee
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb